Swimming with Manta Rays

Hi all. I had to post this video!

We have been in this anchorage in the Marquesas called Hanamoenoa Bay for some time. There is a note on the website we use called No Foreign Land that says that Manta Rays visit the bay to feed. The best time to see them is apparently early morning between 0600 and 0700. So I have been getting in the water and so far I have had no success. However, I was on deck today and I overheard some people next to us in the water say they had seen some mantas in the bay.

I grabbed my snorkelling stuff and GoPro and this is the video I captured! Talk about exhilarating. Initially I couldn’t see anything, I was snorkelling looking down at the seabed, then I looked up and these guys were right in front of me! I nearly jumped out of skin!

I have never been so close to something in the water so big, graceful and beautiful as these two in my life. I was pretty scared, especially when they appeared to swim right at me with their mouths wide open. At one point, I could almost reach out and touch one of them. They were much bigger than me, I would say about 3m wingspan? The water here is about 10m deep, and at one point in the video you can see the bottom of another boat behind the rays. That boat is about 12m long. That gives you a sense of scale hopefully.

Hope you enjoy!